Argan Oil – Pure, Organic, Scented & Blended

Despite the hype it’s still difficult to find a one hundred percent pure, certified, cosmetic grade argan oil in London.

Some products have no certification. Others are mixed with cheaper oils. Some contain artificial silicon. Others are suspiciously neutral-smelling. Cosmetic grade argan oil should have a faint nutty odour. If it smells of nothing it may have been heat-treated which kills some of the goodness. Others have a strong nutty odour, meaning it may be cooking grade argan oil. Others come from a country other than Morocco, meaning the tree may have been genetically modified to increase yield.

Havenessence has sold a certified, one hundred percent pure, cosmetic grade argan oil in central London for over two years. Our oil is exported all over the world. We have hundreds of repeat orders. Customers can try the oil before purchase and discuss it with experienced staff. Our oil is sourced only from Morocco.

Argan oil is derived from the argan tree (Argania spinosa), a UNESCO-protected tree endemic to Morocco. It reaches 8–10 metres high and lives for up to 200 years. It grows in semi-arid soil and its deep root system helps protect against soil erosion and the advance of the Sahara Desert. Oil from the argan tree is one of the rarest oils in the world.

Argan trees are thorny with gnarled trunks. The leaves are 2–4 cm long. The flowers have pale yellow-green petals. Flowering is in April. The fruit is 2–4 cm long with a thick peel surrounding a sweet-smelling layer of pulpy pericarp. This covers a very hard seed, which contains usually one, but occasionally two or three, oil-rich kernels. The fruit ripens in June or July.

Traditionally, women from the Berber tribe produce the oil. In times past, goats were sent up the trees to eat the fruit and the women would then gather the undigested seeds from the goat excrement. The seeds would then be cracked and the kernels pressed to produce the oil. Argan oil used in cosmetic and culinary products today has most likely been harvested directly from the tree without the intervention of a goat!

Culinary argan oil is produced by lightly toasting the kernels before pressing. Cosmetic grade argan oil is cold-pressed without toasting.

Argan oil production today supports some 2.2 million people in the main argan oil producing region of Morocco (the Arganeraie) with much of the oil controlled by women’s co-operatives. It has had a major socio-economic impact on Moroccan women.

Havenessence has sold a scrupulously sourced cosmetic grade argan oil for almost two years. Details here.

New to havenessence: a luxurious blend of organic Moroccan argan oil and Norfolk lavender. Can be used as a natural perfume, for relaxation and to aid sleep. Bottled in a neat glass 10ml roll-on, ideal for handbag or bedside table.

The lavender oil is grown and distilled on a small Norfolk farm a few miles from King’s Lynn. It has a deep, strong, sweet aroma with hints of hay and butterscotch — very different from French lavender.

The argan oil is cosmetic grade, certified organic, non-heat treated, fairly traded and 100 percent pure. It is unusual in Britain to find argan oil of this quality. So-called ‘Moroccan oil’ may contain only a fraction of argan oil, the rest being cheaper oils such as grapeseed or sweet almond.

Buy from havenessencein person in central London or by mail order. Orders are shipped quickly and postage charges kept to a minimum.

Our sister site, havenessence, has published a useful article on argan oil hair treatment, making the point that the most important matter when applying argan oil to the hair is to ensure that the substance you use really is argan oil. More here…

High quality cosmetic grade argan oil is hard to source in London and in the UK generally… but we’ve managed it! We now stock 30ml and 50ml bottles of the ‘golden oil’ with the following characteristics:

100% pure

sourced from a reputable supplier in Morocco

Organic — certified by Ecocert

cold pressed

un-toasted

non-heat treated

non-bleached

kernels pressed immediately after extraction

traceable — we know which tree each bottle comes from!

ethical — our supplier operates in an ethical manner and the Berber women who produce the argan oil are paid directly for their work

Fairly traded — our supplier is in the process of being certified Fair Trade. Please note that, to our knowledge, there is no certified fair trade argan producer as of yet (June 2012)

Available from havenessence at Piccadilly Market, St James’s Church, Piccadilly, London W1. We hold limited stock at the market and this tends to sell out quickly. Please telephone or email to reserve your order: 07588 964 422

It’s a rainy April day in central London — typical English weather for the time of year — but our new Argan oil range is selling like hot cakes. Visit us at Piccadilly Market or buy from the havenessence shop.